When it comes to the War of Resistance Against Japan, most of our perspective is on the communist army, in fact, there is nothing we can do, because in the War of Resistance Against Japan, most of the Kuomintang troops are indeed a bit unsatisfactory, but they are often called elite in terms of numbers and weapons, and when they really fight, they often drop the chain. However, this was not the case for all Kuomintang troops, one of which was guarding Hengyang City, which had inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese army and suffered heavy losses.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the war did not spread to Hengyang at first, so Hengyang also set up many industrial facilities. By the time the Japanese attacked Hengyang, its importance had surpassed that of Changsha. It is first of all an important transit station for railway traffic, and it is also the connection point of the two railways of Guangdong, Han and Xianggui. In terms of roads it is the center of the southwest. The airport in Hengyang is also the middle liaison station of China's southeast air base. It can be said that if Hengyang is lost, it will cause great losses whether it is from the railway, highway or air base. Japan understands this truth, and of course the Kuomintang understands it. Therefore, japan will spare no effort to attack, and the Kuomintang will do its best to defend, so the most tragic defensive battle has begun.
Hengyang has a rare luck, that is, the mayor of Hengyang is Zhao Junmai, he is a graduate of the Civil Engineering Department from the University of Wisconsin in the United States, so he is very good at architecture, which is simply a professional counterpart. Therefore, the fortifications in Hengyang are very large-scale and highly practical because of the existence of Zhao Junmai. Under the leadership of Zhao Junmai, in just one month, 100,000 soldiers and civilians built Hengyang into a heavily armored fortress. There was barbed wire everywhere, bunkers, and trenches connected to each bunker. The mountains around the city have also been cut into upright steep slopes, with a minimum height of 5 meters, which is completely impossible to climb. Under such defensive preparations, Zhao Junmai evacuated the citizens after the fall of Changsha City, and then waited for the Japanese army to attack.
After the Japanese army captured Changsha, it did come straight to Hengyang. The two sides first shelled each other, and after a round of testing, the Japanese army began to attack, but not early in the trenches and bunkers waiting for the Nationalist troops to face the oncoming Japanese troops began to shoot targets, but the Japanese army was too strong, and soon the two sides began to engage in hand-to-hand combat. The first round of engagement ended, the Japanese retreated, and both sides entered a period of rest. For the Hengyang defenders, the preparations are so sufficient, and there are still 300,000 troops on the way to reinforcements, as long as according to Chiang Kai-shek, insisting on 48 hours will naturally have troops to come to break the siege, so the Hengyang defenders have no worries at all. For the Japanese army, since it can capture Changsha in 3 hours, Hengyang can quickly fall even if it is difficult to bite.
However, the development of things went in the opposite direction as expected by both sides, the defenders in the isolated city could not wait for reinforcements, and the Japanese army that continued to attack could not take the lonely city for a long time. It was the rainy season, and many of the wounded maggots were wounded and sick because of untimely treatment and humid air. This offensive and defensive battle, which is highly valued by both sides, continues day by day in this mixture of despair and hope. At that time, the two-meter-deep trench was filled with japanese corpses, and the blood flowed like a long river outside Hengyang City, and the smell of blood in the sky added a layer of fierceness to the war.
The battle that the Japanese thought could be won in a few hours lasted for 47 days, and on August 7, 1944, the commander of the Hengyang garrison, Fang Xianjue, confirmed that the defenders had run out of ammunition and had lost the basis for organized resistance, and sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek saying,"No longer able to fight, goodbye in the next life," and then he was about to commit suicide with a gun, but was quickly saved by the adjutant's hand. Later, a Japanese staff officer negotiated with the Nationalist army and said that if the Nationalist army surrendered, it would not only not harm the soldiers and civilians in the city, but also treat the wounded. Fang Xian, aware of this, led the remnants of the defenders out of the bunker.
In the Battle of Hengyang, the Nationalist army resisted the japanese attack of 100,000 people with 17,000 people, and when the war was over, the Japanese army paid a heavy price of 20,000 deaths and 60,000 wounded to capture Hengyang City, while the Hengyang defenders at this time sacrificed more than 16,000 people. This was the most tragic battle in the War of Resistance Against Japan, and although we were ultimately unable to win, its historical significance far exceeded the strategic value of a city.